Boris Johnson uses a £400 HUAWEI phone to take a selfie on This Morning with Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby – after suggesting the Chinese firm could be barred from the UK’s 5G network as a security risk
- Following This Morning interview he used what appeared to be a Huawei P20
- Willoughby said PM reappeared and ‘whipped his phone out’ in order to take pic
- Number 10 has yet to confirm if the £400 handset belongs to the Prime Minister
Boris Johnson used a Huawei smartphone to take a selfie with two TV presenters today, despite ongoing security concerns around the Chinese company.
Following an interview on ITV’s This Morning, the Prime Minister used what appeared to be a Huawei P20 to take a selfie with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
Willoughby said Mr Johnson reappeared after his interview on the programme and ‘he whipped his phone out’ in order to take the picture.
Number 10 has yet to confirm if the handset – which sells for around £400 – belongs to the Prime Minister, who yesterday tried to put distance between the Government and the Chinese firm.
During a Nato summit in Watford he said it was essential not to prejudice Britain’s ability to share intelligence with key allies.
Following an interview on ITV’s This Morning, the Prime Minister used what appeared to be a Huawei P20 to take a selfie with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby
Number 10 has yet to confirm if the £400 handset belongs to the Prime Minister, who yesterday tried to put distance between the Government and the Chinese firm
Speaking at the end of the 70th anniversary leaders’ meeting in Watford, he said: ‘On Huawei and 5G, I don’t want this country to be unnecessarily hostile to investment from overseas.
‘On the other hand, we cannot prejudice our vital national security interests, nor can we prejudice our ability to co-operate with other Five Eyes security partners, and that will be how – that will be the key criterion that informs our decision about Huawei.’
His comments came as US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning that the US considered any involvement by Huawei in the UK’s next-generation 5G network to be a ‘security danger’.
Willoughby said Mr Johnson reappeared after his interview on the programme and ‘he whipped his phone out’ in order to take the picture
Huawei is the subject of a Government review into whether it should be allowed into ‘non-essential’ parts of UK 5G infrastructure, with a decision expected after the General Election.
The United States, which has placed trade restrictions on the firm, has previously suggested that future co-operation with other members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership – the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – could be jeopardised if the Chinese company was given a role in the UK’s 5G infrastructure.
Critics including Mr Trump have argued that Huawei’s telecoms equipment could be used to spy on people in the West – something the Beijing-based company has always denied.
It insists it abides by the laws of each country in which it operates.